Pediatric ACL Injuries
ACL injuries were once considered rare in children and adolescents — today, they represent one of the fastest-growing orthopedic challenges in youth sports. From 2000 to 2020, the number of ACL tears in children and adolescents increased between three- and five-fold nationally, and adolescents and teenagers now represent the largest per-capita demographic of ACL reconstructions in the United States.
Dr. Ronak M. Patel is a double board-certified, fellowship-trained orthopedic surgeon with specialized expertise in pediatric and adolescent ACL injuries, serving families throughout the Chicagoland area — including Downers Grove, Hinsdale, Westmont, Oak Brook, Elmhurst, Western Springs, and Munster, Indiana. His practice reflects the most current evidence-based protocols for managing ACL tears in the skeletally immature patient, where the presence of open growth plates demands surgical precision and individualized decision-making that cannot be extrapolated from adult treatment guidelines.
Treating an ACL injury in a child or adolescent is fundamentally different from treating an adult. The growing skeleton introduces a critical variable: the physis, or growth plate. The physes near the knee are responsible for approximately 65–70% of the total longitudinal growth of the lower extremity. Any surgical approach that damages these structures risks limb length discrepancy, angular deformity, or both. At the same time, delaying treatment in an active young athlete carries its own serious risks — progressive meniscal and cartilage injury, chronic instability, and early-onset osteoarthritis.
This balance — between protecting growth potential and preventing secondary joint damage — is the central challenge of pediatric ACL management. Dr. Patel’s approach is guided by skeletal maturity assessment, injury pattern on MRI, sport demands, and shared decision-making with patients and their families.
Illinois youth sports — from competitive soccer and basketball leagues in DuPage and Cook Counties, to high school football, lacrosse, and gymnastics programs throughout the Chicago suburbs — place young athletes at significant risk. Studies show that female high school athletes face ACL injury rates two to six times higher than males in comparable sports. A multisport female athlete carries an estimated 10% lifetime risk of ACL injury over her entire high school career. Among high school athletes, girls’ soccer has the highest ACL injury rate, followed by boys’ football, girls’ basketball, and gymnastics.
Early sports specialization, year-round participation, and increasing competitive intensity are all contributing factors. Children competing on club teams from an early age are exposed to repetitive high-demand pivoting and cutting movements that place significant stress on immature ligamentous structures.
At a Glance
Ronak M. Patel M.D.
- Double Board-Certified, Fellowship-Trained Orthopaedic Surgeon
- Team physician to the Chicago Hounds (MLR) and past team physician to the Cavaliers (NBA), Browns (NFL) and Guardians (MLB)
- Published over 50 publications and 10 book chapters
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